5 tips to easily save money when decorating your home

Let’s not beat around the bush here, decorating a house is expensive! Kitchens cost A LOT and don’t get me started with sofas. Unfortunately, most of us do not have endless saving funds to afford it all, and with often unforeseen expenses no one has money to waste by the end of a renovation. So here are my 5 tips to easily save money when decorating a house so you can afford those marble effect tiles or pay for the brass-finish premium for your kitchen.

Do the painting yourself

This can be one of the biggest money savers when it comes to decorating a house. Yes, it is long but it is so simple to do that I couldn’t imagine paying someone else to do it. All you will need is the paint of your choice, good quality paint brushes and rolls, masquing tape, some protective material for the floor and furniture (I used old bed sheets) and cleaning products (because trust me, there will be spillages).

Navy blue walls painted by yours truly

When we moved into our house I knew I wanted to repaint all the bedrooms and add a couple of statement walls. It took a lot of time and elbow grease. Painting at 10pm a week before my wedding wasn’t exactly my definition of fun, but I am so proud I did it. It was a great way for me to ‘bond’ with the house and an amazing arm workout!

Find good dupes

Not a time saver but definitely a big money one! If you have your mind set on very specific furniture items that are quite pricey, spend a bit of time looking for a dupe. It may take you months like it did for my corridor’s mirror but you will be so happy to have saved money you won’t even care.

Great examples of dupes are my Eames-inspired chairs. The original white Vitra Eames chairs with wood legs retail at £365 (gasp!). Way out of my budget so I looked for a good quality dupe (the word quality is important here don’t just go for the cheapest) and found some at Dwell for around £60. We got four so we saved a whopping £1220 which we invested in one very expensive high-quality dining table.

Budget and online shops are your friends

With so many options online and in-store, there is no need to feel like you have to pay the price on the tag. Places like TK Maxx (TJ U.S. side) and Homesense are great to find those little bits an bobs you are missing. Online shops are fantastic to shop for dupes! I love Amazon in particular as you can pretty much get everything and anything there, like Eames inspired chairs for instance!

Velvet teal cushion found at TK Maxx

It can be a waiting game as the stock is not guaranteed but this is how I found my kitchen rug. I knew I wanted something a bit bohemian but rugs are so expensive that there was no way I would spend a lot on something that may get ruined by tomato sauce. After one of my monthly visits to TK Maxx, I found the perfect small rug at the perfect small price so if food ends up staining it I won’t have an emotional meltdown.

Rug found at TK Maxx

Recycle what you already have

I am big on protecting the environment. You can ask Andrew, I am one of those people who will take apart packaging so any recyclable piece of it can go in the recycling bin. I also try to use what we already have to reduce costs and protect mother nature. In my house, old fashion cushions get new covers and candle holders become plant pots or brush holders.

Diptyque candles make for the best dressing table storage

I also use old clothes and towels to stuff things like my Moroccan pouffe for instance. It is a great way to save money and avoid buying more polyester-based stuff when you can recycle natural fabrics instead.

Source cheap wall art

Get your creative juices flowing when it comes to art in your house! A tea towel can be framed and make for a great piece of art like the cat one I have above my TV. I also framed two completely free Victoria & Albert Museum flyers which came out really nicely.

Etsy has also super affordable designs you can buy and print yourself, with simple frames from Ikea an entire gallery wall could cost you less than £50. This is what we did for our bedroom, we ran out of money and got the ‘Bonjour‘ and plant prints to download from Etsy and paired them with simple frames from Amazon. It costs us close to nothing!

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I hope you found my 5 tips to easily save money when decorating your home useful! Now go save all those $$$$$ so you can buy that luxurious linen bedding you are dreaming of!

9 thoughts on “5 tips to easily save money when decorating your home”

Some great money saving tips! And it’s surprising what you can repurpose what you already have around the home. I also love to stake out charity shops too. You’ll be surprised what you might find. I’ve managed to pick up an Alessi tin (of which I already have a set that cost me £90 each for a tiny sum of £1.50… You can also find quite unique pieces too that you won’t find in any mainstream retailers.

Some really good ideas here. I’m a big advocate of reuse and recycle. It’s remarkable what a difference adding a coat of paint or recovering something actual can do. I’ve used old brasso tins in my office, so love the idea of using used candles too.

Meet moi!

French living in London. Daydreamer and food lover. I like to capture nice moments with my camera. Pictures are taken at home, on trips, somewhere close or somewhere far. I share travel tips, my favourite London places, interior updates of my home and beauty tips!